The present invention relates to an engagement chain and a movable body movement device that moves a movable body using the engagement chain.
Conventionally, an engagement chain used in a state incorporated in an engagement chain actuator is known as one such engagement chain (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the engagement chain actuator, a lifting table is selectively raised and lowered by driving two engagement chains, which are capable of selectively advancing and retreating. The two engagement chains are engaged to be integrated with each other when moving in the advancing direction and are disengaged from each other in order to bifurcate when moving in the retreating direction.
Each of the engagement chains is formed by outer link plates and inner link plates, which are coupled together in the longitudinal direction. The outer link plates and the inner link plates each have two pin holes. Each of the outer link plates and an adjacent one of the inner link plates in the longitudinal direction are coupled to each other in a flexible manner by inserting coupling pins into the pin holes of the link plates. The outer link plates are arranged in the width direction of each chain. Each of the inner link plates is arranged between the corresponding adjacent two of the outer link plates in the width direction of the chain. A common coupling pin is inserted in the corresponding pin holes of the outer and inner link plates overlapped in the width direction of the chain.